During three weeks in
February and March this year, BISHOP FILIPE CARLOS XIMINES
BELO, 1996 joint Nobel Peace Prize winner and senior
Catholic Bishop in East Timor toured Australia launching a
humanitarian aid campaign for East Timor sponsored by
CARITAS. On March 1, Bishop Belo was welcomed by Cr Jim
Soorley, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, in a civic reception
at the City Hall. The following is a transcript of Bishop
Belos speech.

East Timor is one of Australias
closest neighbours. It suffered neglect during its
400-year history as a Portuguese colony particularly in
the areas of health, education, social and economic
development. In World War II, the East Timorese people
supported Australian soldiers, commandos fighting Japanese
forces in the territory and at least 40,000 East Timorese
died during the war.

Portugal had already commenced the
process of decolonisation when Indonesian forces invaded
East Timor on December 7, 1975.

East Timor was incorporated as
Indonesias 27th province in July 1976, a
move which remains unrecognised by the United Nations. The
East Timor people were not consulted on this issue.

Australia is the only Western nation to
recognise Indonesian annexation of East Timor. Thanks to
God, your government changed its position and we hope that
in the future it will help East Timor toward peace.

Since 1975 there has been ongoing
conflict between the Timorese, the thousands of Indonesian
forces still in the territory and the resistance movement.
Many Timorese have lost their lives in this time from
direct and indirect effects of occupation; dying from
disease, starvation and war. Breech of human rights have
been committed.

Following the fall of the Suharto
government in May 1998 there is renewed hope for the
future of East Timor. Now, in 1999, for the first time the
Indonesian government, through Mr. President Habibie and
his Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Alatas, announced
that it may consider independence for this former
Portuguese colony.

Two weeks ago, Indonesian security
forces transferred the leader of the resistance movement,
Xanana Gusmao, from prison to house arrest and Gusmao has
begun to play a key negotiation role.

President Habibie now says he would
like to see East Timor independent by January 1, 2000 if
the Timorese reject the autonomy granted by Jakarta. From
the other side, underground, elements of the Indonesian
military are arming East Timorese collaborators who are in
a state of near panic over the prospect of Indonesian
withdrawal from the territory.

Now, in my opinion, the most important
thing is how to invite these people, the leaders of
pro-independence and pro-integration groups to sit down
for reconciliation, for dialogue in order to seek a
peaceful solution for the problem of East Timor.

In this sense, may I appeal to you, the
people of Brisbane and Queensland to maintain your support
with technical assistance, in the fields of education,
health, agriculture, tourism, industry, to help East Timor
to reconstruct the country. For your generosity, your
solidarity, on behalf of the people of East Timor, I thank
you very much.